task-discipline
TODO list discipline for task tracking. Activates for multi-step tasks, complex work, or when organization is needed. Use for tracking progress and ensuring completeness.
When & Why to Use This Skill
This Claude skill implements a rigorous task-tracking discipline designed to enhance focus and ensure systematic progress. By enforcing a 'one task at a time' rule and structured status flows (pending, in_progress, completed), it prevents context-switching and ensures complex, multi-step projects are executed with high precision and transparency.
Use Cases
- Complex Software Development: Breaking down multi-file refactoring or feature implementation into granular, trackable steps to avoid logic errors.
- Multi-stage Research Projects: Managing the workflow from initial data gathering to deep analysis and final reporting without losing track of sub-tasks.
- Systematic Debugging: Tracking the investigation of blockers by creating dedicated sub-tasks for each potential cause, ensuring a methodical resolution process.
- Operational SOP Execution: Following multi-step standard operating procedures where each phase must be verified before moving to the next.
| name | task-discipline |
|---|---|
| description | TODO list discipline for task tracking. Activates for multi-step tasks (3+), complex work, or when systematic organization is needed. Use for tracking progress and ensuring completeness. |
| allowed-tools | ["update_plan"] |
| short-description | Rigorous task tracking discipline |
Task Discipline
Read these references:
references/task-management.md- Complete TODO discipline (detailed)~/.config/agent/core/methodology.md- Problem-solving framework integration
Instructions
Apply rigorous task tracking discipline per AGENT.md and references:
When Required
Create TODO lists for:
- Tasks with 3+ steps
- Complex multi-file work
- Non-trivial implementation
- Any work benefiting from systematic tracking
The Golden Rule
Exactly ONE task in_progress at any given moment
- ✗ Never ZERO in_progress (if work is happening)
- ✗ Never TWO OR MORE in_progress
- ✓ Always exactly ONE in_progress
This forces focus and prevents context-switching.
Status Flow
pending → in_progress → completed
- pending: Not yet started
- in_progress: Currently working on (exactly ONE)
- completed: Finished successfully
No Batching
Mark tasks as completed immediately after finishing.
- ✗ Bad: Complete multiple tasks, then update all at once
- ✓ Good: Finish task → mark completed → start next task
When Blocked
If a task can't proceed:
- Move it back to
pending - Create new task describing the blocker
- Mark blocker task as
in_progress - Resolve blocker first
Task Forms
Each task needs two forms:
- content: Imperative (e.g., "Run tests", "Fix bug in parser")
- activeForm: Present continuous (e.g., "Running tests", "Fixing bug in parser")
The activeForm shows what you're currently doing.
Integration with Problem-Solving
Use TODO lists during Phase 2 (Plan) to break down work, then track progress during Phase 3 (Execute).